This is a list of the absolute bare bones items you need to give the OTA dream a chance to live. This is the original list my good friend JR sent me when I first asked him to guide me in making OTA a reality.
1) The antenna. Bi-directional is best for directional flexibility and tweaking signal reception. The 8-bay is recommended as you might as well get the best, and the price difference between 8 and 4-bay is negligible if you can cut off monthly fees to your television service provider.
Excellent information is availabe here, a great primer on the history of OTA, why the OTA HD signal is the best, and information on different types of Antennas and which one is right for you:
2) Mounting hardware. That antenna isn't going to hang itself.
3) A proper length of coax cable to reach from the antenna to where the existing cable hook-up enters your home, or to reach your television directly. Try to get as close to what you need, and not too much over. Too much cable degrades the signal.
4) Signal booster (AKA, the Preamp), optional, depending on where you are located. As with the antenna, get the best one available, the price difference is negligible compared to 12 months of cable payments. Two short pieces of coax cable to connect the preamp to the antenna are also required.
5) A high definition television. Everything said on this website applies to people with older "tube" televisions, but you will require a channel converter to use the OTA signal with older TVs, which costs about $50. Newer flat screen TVs have this tuner built in, and are ready to receive the high definition signal.
THAT'S IT! The cost to purchase the best of the best, top of the line items mentioned above works out to, on average:
Antenna: $90
Preamp: $100 (worth every penny from personal experience)
Mounting hardware: $20 (including bolts, caulking, and lag shields for the bolts)
Coax Cable: $20 for hundreds of feet
Grand total: $230, tax included. How much is your monthly cable bill?
Keep your cash in your own pocket!
Other materials you may already have on hand or have access to, if necessary:
-hammer drill, assortment of masonry drill bits, and brackets for securing the coax cable outside the home or drilling into brick
-staple gun and regular drill to tack cable if necessary
-standard tools (hammer, mallet, wrenches, sockets, etc.)
Continue reading next page - Antenna
Update May 2011:
After working through a few installations, the best outcome is to have a direct line running from the antenna to the TV. I used the existing coax cable in the house and found a much stronger signal when running a dedicated wire. The only issue is making a hole in your home to bring the cable from outside to inside and running it to the TV. There are many ways to do this depending on your home. I had a hole drilled through the foundation of my home (a comparatively simple procedure), and a few dabs of caulking later we were up and running!
Also, newer antennas have the ability to send 2 equal strength signals on 2 different wires. This means you can now run the same signal to 2 different TVs in your home! A huge advancement in antenna design which greatly increases the options on every installation!
